1. Morkel’s Triple Blow
Morne Morkel bowled a very determined spell in the first session of the day. First, he got rid of Murali Vijay for three, when there was only four runs on the board, And then he bowled a jaffer of a delivery to send Rohit Sharma back. India were tottering at 8/2.
Vijay wasn’t happy with the umpire’s decision when he was given out caught behind after he tried to fend of a bouncer. In the replay, it was clear that the ball hit Vijay’s arm guard on the way to the keeper’s gloves.
There was no problem with Rohit Sharma’s wicket though. He was cleaned bowled in his first ball.
Then a couple of overs after lunch, Morkel bowled an unplayable yorker to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan for 21.
2. Virat Survives a Scare
Virat Kohli fished at a delivery outside the off-stump yet again. He missed it but the umpire thought otherwise and raised his finger when the bowler Imran Tahir and his team appealed.
The Indian skipper was distraught with the decision and stood there for a while and then started making his way back to the pavilion.
But the umpires asked him to stop as they wanted to check whether Tahir had bowled a legal delivery. And luckily for Virat, it was a no-ball.
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3. Kohli’s First Fifty
India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli has finally managed to amass his first fifty of the series. It came in the last innings of the series but as they say better late than never.
He played a very fluent innings and showcased how well he knows his home turf.
He got a quick 44 in the first innings but was out unluckily. And this time he has avenged that.
He hit ten boundaries during the course of his innings and finished the day on 83.
4. Rahane and Kohli’s 100-Run Partnership
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane notched the first 100-run partnership of the series. All the firsts seem to be coming in the last Test of the series.
The duo batted close to 50 overs and scored a total of 133 runs in the day. They kept rotating strike and hit the occasional boundary.
India were in a spot of bother at 57/4, but these two got together and reconstructed the Indian innings in true Test match style.
5. Rahane’s Fifty
Ajinkya Rahane produced another top-class innings and scored his second fifty at home. It seems like he has finally decoded the Indian tracks.
He played more freely in this innings than the first innings. Getting the monkey off his back in the first innings would have certainly helped.
Rahane struck five boundaries during the course of his 52-run innings. His strike rate was a bit on the lower side, but his support propelled Virat to play freely.
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